Sometimes you just have to give in to temptation and root for the favorite. That’s kind of how I felt when I heard Suzi Ragsdale’s new EP, Ghost Town. Suzi has toured with Guy Clark and Darrell Scott. She’s sang on over 60 albums from a who’s who of Nashville, and had her songs recorded by about that many more. She first appeared on a number one record when she was in kindergarten: Ray Stevens’ (her dad) Everything Is Beautiful. It’s been a decade since she released her last record, but this one’s worth a wait.
Bonfire is a country-ish number about putting your past behind, living and learning, “it’s all fuel for a bonfire”. Ghost Town is a sweet country ballad about living with the ghosts of past lovers. Loved And Won name checks famous couples, both real and imaginary. In the end, though, it’s not about having loved and lost, it’s that if you’ve really loved, you’ve won. The last song on the EP, the appropriately titled The Ending, is a slow country waltz with flourish, and espouses living life to it’s fullest without worrying about how it will turn out.
Ragsdale makes full use of percussion throughout the record. A good example of that is Live Until You Die. It has a funky, clapping beat a little reminiscent of something Simon & Garfunkel would have done, and features her dad on congas and maracas. It’s another song advocating a joyous life because even if all you do is “eat, drink, sleep, wash, rinse, repeat” it’s still better than the alternative. And we here at Twangville get to premiere the video that goes with it. Have fun with this one.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.